Types of Writing Systems in Asia

JAPANESE ALPHABET

KOREAN ALPHABET The Hangul Alphabet

The double consonants marked with * are pronounced fortis. There is no symbol in IPA to indiciate this.

MONGOLIAN ALPHABET Vowels

Consonants

Consonant/vowel combinations

Numerals The first set of numbers (tegen, nigen, etc.) are Classical Mongolian, the others are modern Mongolian.

Punctuation

CAMBODIAN (KHMER) ALPHABET Consonants

Subscript consonants

Inpedendent vowels

Numerals

Sample text

Translation All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

LAO ALPHABET Consonants

The consonants in the final row are compounds and conjuncts used as alternatives to the basic consonants.

Vowel diacritics (with k)

Numerals

Tone indication Open syllables unmarked Class 1 low

Closed syllables * short vowel long vowel

mid

high falling high

low falling

Class 2 low rising mid

low falling high

low falling

Class 3 high

high falling mid

high falling

mid

* Closed syllables are those ending with p, t or k

Sample text

Transliteration      māmīẏ  ī  ī   m m phôp thaw thẏam kân. Thuk thuk khôn mī   m m   n tôw khɔ ṅ phai khɔ ṅ m vô manut thuk thuk khôn khwan ṅ paphʉ t taṁ kân khʉ  kân kâp pianôy nɔ  kân.

Translation All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

THAI ALPHABET

The consonants in the final row are compounds used as alternatives to the basic consonants. The letter o ang acts as a silent vowel carrier at the beginning of words that start with a vowel.

Vowel diacritics ( )

Numerals ( )

Tone indication Class 1 Mid Low Falling Low Low Class 2 Rising Low Falling Low Low Class 3 Mid Falling High High Falling

BURMESE ALPHABET Consonants

Vowels and vowel diacritics

Numerals

Sample Text

Translation From Me'-za mountain's jungle foothills, Washed by the circling river constantly, My heart, against my will, yearns for the Golden City

TIBETAN ALPHABET Consonants

Extra consonants for writing Sanskrit loan words

Conjunct consonants

Vowels diacritics

Numerals

Sample text (

Sampe text (

: u-chen script)

: gyuk yig script)

Translation All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

BENGALI ALPHABET alphabet

Vowels and vowel diacritics

Consonants

A selection of conjunct consonants

Modifier symbols

Numerals

Sample text in Bengali

TELUGU ALPHABET Vowels

Consonants

Conjunct consonants

Other symbols

Numerals

Sample text in Telugu

Transliteration Prvvm vym māver jmḥ svataṁr mā gdr. Vār vvdāṁtaḥkaraṇ saṁpannulaguṭč rrm bʰrāṛbʰāvmō vrṁpavalayunu.

TAMIL ALPHABET Vowels and vowel diacritics

Non-standard consonant-vowel combinations

Consonants

Numerals

The numerals rarely appear in modern Tamil texts. Instead, 'Arabic' numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) are used. Other symbols

Sample text in Tamil

Transliteration Maṉitap piṛaviyiṉr črm črmāv ṛakkiṉṛaṉar; avarkaḷ matippilum urimaikaḷm čmmāṉavarkaḷ. Avarkaḷ yāyym mṉčāṭčyym yṛpaṇā peṛṛavarkaḷ. Avarkaḷ oruvaruṭaṉorvr čōr ṇrv āṅkil naṭantukoḷḷ vṇṭum.

ARABIC ALPHABETS Arabic consonants

Arabic vowels The short vowels (a, i, u) and the diacritics attached to the long vowels are usually written only in poetry, textbooks for foreign learners, children's books and the Qur'an (Koran)

Numerals with number names in Standard Arabic

HEBREW ALPHABET Modern Israeli pronunciation

Hebrew vowel points / Nikkud)

(

The first row of IPA transcriptions is the Modern Israeli Hebrew pronunciation, the second row is the Medieval/Tiberian pronunciation.

Modern Cursive Hebrew script

Rashi

ARAMENIAN ALPHABET Eastern Armenian alphabet

Western Armenian alphabet

Armenian punctuation

Sample text in Armenian

Transliteration Bolor mardik tsnvum en azat u havasar irents' arzhanapatvut'yamb u iravunqnerov. Nranq unen banakanut'yun u khighch & mimyants' petq e' yeghbayrabar veraberven

GEORGIAN ALPHABET Asomtavruli (

Nuskhuri (

)

)

Mkhedruli (

)

Sample text in Georgian in the Asomtav ruli

Sample text in Georgian in the Mkhedruli

alphabet

alphabet

Sample text in Georgian in the Nuskhuri alphabet

Transliteration Qvela adamiani ibadeba tavisupali da tanasts'ori tavisi ghirsebita da uplebebit. Mat minich'ebuli akvt goneba da sindisi da ertmanetis mimart unda iktseodnen dzmobis sulisk'vetebit.

DEVIHE ALPHABET Dhivehi (Maldivian), an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 300,000 people in the Maldives and on India's Minicoy Islands.

Thaana consonants

Thaana vowel diacritics

Letters used for transliterating Arabic words thiki ( jehi thaana)

Sample texts

Transliteration Hurihaa insaanun ves ufanvanee, dharaja'aa'i ḥa'quthakuga'i minivankamaa'i hamahamakan libigenvaa ba'e'ge gothuga'eve. Emeehunnash heyo visnumaa'i, heyo bu'dheege baaru libigenva'ava. Adhi emeehan ekaku anekakaa medhu mu˂aamalaath kuranvaanee, ukhu'vaththeri kamuge roo ḥe'ga'ava.

SINHALA ALPHABET Vowels

Vowel diacritics with ka

Consonants

Numerals

These numerals are no longer used in written Sinhala, instead the Western-style numerals are used. Spreadsheet of the Sinhala alphabet (Excel, 56K)

Sample text in Sinhala

Transliteration Syū mṣyyō dv  bā. Grvye ā yvām mā ve. Y y  ḷb d  gīme ā ṛdy āṣye y ovōvv ṭa sæḷy yō ōdrvy ḷb d  gīme.

GE’EZ/ETHIOPIC ALPHABET

Punctuation

Numerals These numerals developed from the Greek alphabet, possibly via Coptic.

Sample text in Ge'ez

Translation Word of blessing of Henok, wherewith he blessed the chosen and righteous who would be alive in the day of tribulation for the removal of all wrongdoers and backsliders.

DEVANĀGARĪ ALPHABET

Other symbols

Consonants

Variant letters

A selection of conjunct consonants

Numerals

GUJARĀTĪ SCRIPT Vowels and vowel diacritics

Consonants

A selection of conjunct consonants

Numerals

Sample text in Gujarātī

Transliteration Pratiṣṭā  dārōī drṣṭ rv māvō jmī vr  mā ōy c. Tmāmāṁ vcārś  ḥkaraṇ ōy c  m ṇ rr bdvī vrv ṁ jō.

PUNJABI ALPHABET Vowels and Vowel diacritics (Laga Matra)

Consonants (Vianjans)

Other symbols

Numerals

Sample text in Punjabi (Gurmukhi alphabet)

Transliteration Sār ā āzād   qūq  ‘zz d āz ā brābr dā . O ‘q mj  cg md dī cā  ā rd e  dţ oā ū  dūj ā bā´īcār āā ū r cāī dā .

MALAYALAM ALPHABET Vowels (svaram)

Vowel diacritics with ka

Consonants (vyanjanam)

A selection of conjunct consonants

Numerals

The simplified versions are shown in blue.

Sample text

Transliteration

Manuṣyreāvrm yāvāś  aḷōṭm ōṭum vāryōmūṭ jccvrāṇ. Ayōym brārbāvoṭe ermāṛvāāṇa manuṣy vvbddym mṣṣāṣym ddmāyr.

ORIYA ALPHABET Vowels and vowel diacritics with k

Consonants

Some conjunct consonants

Numerals

Sample text

Sabu manuṣ jmāḷr vdā ṣamainaṅr rāḍā o dār mā ṅaṭāre rbã o bibake niha ṭc me rr b brādb  ṣaṣa kari ṭār jrā ḍrār.

KHUDAWADI (SINDHI) SCRIPT